Andreas KollenderReseñas

I wish I had read the actual account rather than the fictionalized novel.

Based on the life of real-life spy Fritz Kolbe.

A slow start, but once into the actual story, it's quite interesting. Being a spy in WWII was a harrowing experience, never knowing when the Gestapo would catch on and come for you, not knowing if you would be lucky enough for a quick execution when caught, and what would happen to your loved ones. A great story.

This is a fabulous book! A real page-turner that kept me reading well into the night. Based on the story of Fritz Kolbe, perhaps the greatest spy ever, it paints a very realistic picture of life in Berlin during the war, and the disgust of one man at the heart of the German office who decides that he cannot stand by and watch all the horrors of the Nazi regime and does something about it. Through a friend in Switzerland Kolbe manages to get in touch with the OSS operatives stationed in Bern, and delivers key Nazi documents to none other than Allen Dulles, who heads up that office. As the trusted assistant of one of the top foreign service officers, he makes several such trips. Along the way, he has a love affair with a married woman, with whom at the end of the war he is finally able to get to safety in Switzerland. The narrative is beautifully written and translated, and Kollender switches between the technique of having Kolbe tell his story to two Swiss journalists after the war, to landing us right in the thick of things in the hotbed of the German Foreign Office. Expertly done; hats off! One of the best books I have read recently.

The true story of US spy Fritz Kolbe who worked in Ribbentrop's foreign ministry in Berlin during WW2 and was run by Allen Dulles in Bern. The story is based on a biography of Kolbe and is essentially a true story although some aspects have been imagined. Provides an interesting insight into the plight of non-Nazi Berliners and Germans who were mostly afraid to resist, unlike Kolbe.

The Honest Spy by Andreas Kollender (translated by Steve Anderson) is a historical fiction book about a German clerk spying for the USA. This is a fictionalized account of Fritz Kolbe, one of the most important resources the allies had during that time.

Fritz Kolbe, a widowed clerk, has been called back to German from South Africa. Recognizing the evils of the Nazi regime from afar, Fritz leaves his only daughter in Africa and returns to Berlin to do his duty.

Recognizing that he’s on the wrong side of the war, Mr. Kolbe uses his position to pass information to the Americans.

The Honest Spy by Andreas Kollender (translated by Steve Anderson) is an amazing account, fictionalized as it may be, of Fritz Kolbe, an ethical man living in a most unethical place and doing his best to do what he knows is right.

The author created a very convincing novel, telling the story of Mr. Kolbe both in the present as well as with the advantage of hindsight. Even though the story is about a middle aged clerk, a gray man with a gray job, it was an intense read full of suspense and humor.

The story captures the integrity and bravery of Mr. Kolbe. He jeopardized his life over the course of years to do what he believes is right. Sadly, after the war, the Germans considered Mr. Kolbe a traitor and he had a difficult time finding work.

This is a riveting book, based on a real life hero. I wish some details were left in, such as how Mr. Kolbe took blank passports and helped Jews escape but I understand that sometimes stories have to error on the side of the narrative and pace. A big kudos to the translator, Steve Anderson, for a job well done.

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Ein Roman über die Fahrt von Georg Forster mit Captain James Cook in die Südsee. In einer Rahmenhandlung reflektiert Forster kurz vor seinem Tode in Paris, wie diese Reise ihn geprägt hat. Vielversprechender Anfang, letztendlich ein wenig unbefriedigend. Der Autor hat sich intensiv mit dem nautischen Vokabular beschäftigt und verwendet fast durchgängig die deutschen Begriffe, behält dann aber doch Midshipmen bei, wieso? Einige Wortspiele funktionieren nur in deutsch, und man fragt sich, was sich an Cooks Tafel wohl tatsächlich an Konversation abgespielt haben mag. Forsters eigene Aufzeichnungen wären sicher spannender zu lesen.½